The first thousand-ton crew has appeared in the Vitebsk region, reports a BELTA correspondent.
The first thousand-ton crew has appeared in the Vitebsk region, reports a BELTA correspondent.
The first to thresh a thousand tons in the Lepel district was a team consisting of senior combine operator Leonid Alexeenko and his assistant Pavel Khonyak.
The leaders were honoured today with the participation of the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Nikolai Sherstnev, representatives of local authorities, and the enterprise management. The machine operators were presented with honorary diplomas and a monetary award.
"This is the first time this year we are honouring the frontrunners of the harvest. The first thousand tons were achieved in just a few days of work. This indicates that there is grain, there is the machinery to harvest it without problems, and there are professional personnel – grain growers who know their job and put their heart into it," stressed the head of the region.
Nikolai Sherstnev emphasised that the harvest in the northern region of the country has only just begun to enter its technological rhythm. Last year, by July 30, the harvest in the Vitebsk region had practically not yet begun. The first percent was harvested only on August 1. Currently, work is proceeding with an advance of almost 10 days.
"The weather has made its adjustments, however, forecasters promise good conditions in the next week and a half. Essentially, at a work rate of 5% per day, this time will be sufficient to harvest the main grain crop. The grain is ripe. There are no restraining factors for the harvest. To avoid losing the grain, we did everything during the preparatory period. Now we need to work from dew until dew," stressed Nikolai Sherstnev.
In the person of the first harvest frontrunners, Nikolai Sherstnev congratulated all the rural workers involved in this work on the successful start of the harvest, and wished the machine operators good weather and a loss-free grain harvest.
In total, as of the morning of July 30, 40.5 thousand hectares, or 12.3% of the area, have been harvested in the Vitebsk region. 117 thousand tons of grain have been threshed with an average yield of 29 centners per hectare. The average harvesting rate is currently 3.8% of the area per day, however, in the near future, taking into account the dry and hot weather promised by forecasters for the current week, it is planned to increase it to 5-7%.
The highest yield in the region, 35 centners per hectare, has currently been recorded in Polotsk district. Farmers in Gluboksky (31 centners/ha) and Verkhnedvinsk (33 centners/ha) districts are also harvesting a good crop. In Lepel district, the average yield is 29.4 centners per hectare, with 17.2% of the areas already harvested.